Book contents
- The Cambridge World History of Violence
- The Cambridge History of Violence
- The Cambridge World History of Violence
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Maps
- Contributors to Volume i
- General Introduction: Violence in World History
- Introduction to Volume I
- Part I The Origins of Conflict
- Part II Prehistoric and Ancient Warfare
- Part III Intimate and Collective Violence
- Part IV Religion, Ritual and Violence
- Part V Violence, Crime and the State
- 26 Violence, Law and Community in Classical Athens
- 27 Roman Violence: Attitudes and Practice
- 28 Suicide and Martyrdom among Christians and Jews
- Part VI Representations and Constructions of Violence
- Index
- References
28 - Suicide and Martyrdom among Christians and Jews
from Part V - Violence, Crime and the State
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 13 March 2020
Book contents
- The Cambridge World History of Violence
- The Cambridge History of Violence
- The Cambridge World History of Violence
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Maps
- Contributors to Volume i
- General Introduction: Violence in World History
- Introduction to Volume I
- Part I The Origins of Conflict
- Part II Prehistoric and Ancient Warfare
- Part III Intimate and Collective Violence
- Part IV Religion, Ritual and Violence
- Part V Violence, Crime and the State
- 26 Violence, Law and Community in Classical Athens
- 27 Roman Violence: Attitudes and Practice
- 28 Suicide and Martyrdom among Christians and Jews
- Part VI Representations and Constructions of Violence
- Index
- References
Summary
Martyrdom was a central component in the fashioning of both ancient Jewish and early Christian identities. Within Christian circles martyrdom is often presented as an exclusively Christian phenomenon that emerged in the context of persecution by the Romans. The presence of ‘suicidal’ martyrs in both Jewish and Christian traditions demonstrates both that martyrdom is not the exclusive property of the Christian tradition and also that prior to the third century CE it and suicide were not clearly distinguished from one another.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- The Cambridge World History of Violence , pp. 572 - 586Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2020